Execution (Off Balance, #2)

by Lucia Franco

"Lyubov' ne to, chto vy mozhete ponyat', eto to, chto vy chuvstvuyete v svoyem serdtse. Net slov, eto prosto tak."

"I wish you could see yourself through my eyes, only then would you realize how much you mean to me."

"Only you, Ria," he groaned, "only you. I cannot live without you or this feeling you bring me. I want to be in you every day, all day, for the rest of my life. I want to wake up next to you, make you only mine, and do this every fucking day. This is heaven. You are my everything."

I understood where he was coming from. An energy between two people so powerful it couldn't be contained, no matter how much they tried. No matter how wrong, how illicit, how morally sinful. Some things were meant to be without reason.

"I can see it in your eyes—you got nervous and that is okay, it is normal, but do not let that affect what you came here to do. Look into my eyes and see what I see. A warrior, a fighter, someone who gets kicked out but finds another way in. You are braver and stronger than you know. You are a fire that burns. Do not feed your doubts, Ria, feed your dream. Do not lose your focus."

With Kova’s support, confidence roared through me. He changed my whole mind frame. I was a cub, and he was the lion who breathed strength into me.

"Pozhalyusta prosti, menya,"

"Mne ochen zhal,"

"By the way, I would find you anywhere." I tilted my head to the side in confusion. "You said you are going to move so I cannot show up whenever I wanted. Ria, I will always find you. You have a part of me that no one has ever had, as I do with you."